Spool carrier, particularly for winding up textile threads or the like

Abstract

A spool carrier, particularly for winding up textile threads and for centering and clamping spools which are made up of deformable material such as a paperboard or stiff multilayer paper comprises at least one two-member group having first and second members which have interengageable wedge-shaped portions, which are mounted on a spool carrier one after the other in an axial direction. The two members are urged into wedging interengagement by a biasing spring so that the outer member is displaced outwardly into engagement with the spool carrier. A coupling rod mounted for axial displacement within the spool carrier is movable against the biasing means to disengage the first and second members so as to release the spool.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A spool chuck for winding textile threads and for centering and clamping spools therefor made of a deformable material such as paperboard, multi-layer paper, etc. comprising a coupling tube, a plurality of complementary wedging means axially spaced along said coupling tube whereby said wedging means are operative to engage and disengage a spool, each of said wedging means including an outer member and an inner member, said outer and inner members of each of said wedging means being axially movable relative to one another along said coupling tube, each of said outer members being of an annular configuration having an outer surface with a reduced diameter area intermediate the ends thereof, leaving a spool bearing raised portion at either end thereof, and having a tapered inner surface, and each of said inner members being an annular member having a tapered outer surface complementing the tapered inner surface of its respective outer member, said outer tapered surface of each of said inner members being co-extensive in axial length to the axial length of the reduced diameter area of its respective outer member to provide radial resiliency to said outer members in the area of said spool bearing portions, spring means normally biasing said outer and inner members of each of said wedging means toward a spool engaging position, in which each of said spool bearing portions bears normally against a spool with substantially equal force, said outer member of each of said wedging means having a series of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced slots to render each of said outer members radially compressive, the longitudinal slots extending inwardly from the opposed ends of said outer member in an alternate arrangement, a coupling rod extending longitudinally of said coupling tube, and means annealed to said rod and arranged to engage the inner member of each of said wedging means, said rod and annealed means displaceable in a direction opposite to the bias of said spring means operating on said wedging means to effect relative displacement of said inner and outer members to effect the release of a spool mounted on said chuck. 
     
     
       2. A spool chuck for winding textile threads and for centering and clamping spools therefor made of a deformable material, such as paperboard, multi-layer paper, etc. comprising a coupling tube, a plurality of complementary wedging means axially spaced along said coupling tube whereby said wedging means are operable to engage and disengage a spool, each of said wedging means including an outer member and an inner member, said outer and inner members of each of said wedging means being axially movable relative to one another along said coupling tube, each of said outer members being of an annular configuration having an outer surface with at least one reduced diameter area intermediate the ends thereof leaving a plurality of spool bearing surface segments and a tapered inner surface, said spool bearing surface segments each having a portion undercut from said outer member for providing resilience thereto, and each of said inner members being an annular member having a tapered outer surface complementing the tapered inner surface of its respective outer member, spring means normally biasing said outer and inner members of each of said wedging means toward a spool engaging position, said outer member of each of said wedging means having a series of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced slots to render each of said outer members radially expandable into said spool engaging position to engage said spool bearing segments with equal normal force against the spool and compressive to release the spool, said longitudinal slots extending inwardly from opposite ends of said outer member in an alternate arrangement, a coupling rod extending longitudinally of said coupling tube, and means annealed to said rod and arranged to engage the inner member of each of said wedging means, said rod and annealed means being displaceable in a direction opposite to the bias of said spring means operating on said inner and outer members to effect the release of the spool mounted on said chuck. 
     
     
       3. A spool chuck according to claim 2, wherein said means annealed to said coupling rod comprise a pin radially extending from said rod and slideable in a slot in said coupling tube and engageable with said inner member. 
     
     
       4. A spool chuck according to claim 2, wherein said spring means is a series of cup springs. 
     
     
       5. A spool chuck according to claim 2, wherein the outer surface of said outer member further includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced reduced diameter areas leaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced spool bearing segments for engagement with the spool. 
     
     
       6. A spool chuck according to claim 5, wherein said undercut portion extends circumferentially substantially under each of said spool bearing surface segments and axially across the axial width of each of said outer members.